


Friday?

by hellolife21



Category: Best Song Ever - One Direction (Music Video), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-13
Updated: 2014-01-13
Packaged: 2018-01-08 13:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1133361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellolife21/pseuds/hellolife21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry runs with Nick and the 'popular' kids. Marcel gets picked on a lot. Harry aims to change that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friday?

Marcel clutches his books tight to his chest and walks down the crowded hallway enroute to his next class. He keeps his head low and tries to think of where Nick would have put his backpack this week after he emptied it out in the parking lot and then took off with it. It was a regular thing and Marcel usually ended up finding his backpack in the janitor’s office lost and found because the janitor had found it wedged in an air duct over the stage in auditorium or sitting on top of some lockers somewhere. It was already third period and not even the janitor had found his backpack yet, he was starting to worry.

Lost in thought, Marcel didn’t notice as he was walking he was head straight for Nick and his posse of overly rich entitled kids until he was dropping his books all over the new kid Harry and bouncing off the corner of a set of lockers in the process. He starts apologizing profusely and Harry just stares at him, looking slightly disgusted.

“How’s the glasses?” Nick asks and Marcel looks up from where he’s gathering his books.

“Fine, I guess,” Marcel mumbles and he knows he shouldn’t answer. He knows he shouldn’t, because then it gives Nick a chance to answer back with something 100% more demeaning than what he originally said. 

“Might wanna get them checked because you obviously can’t see where you’re going,” Nick retorts and Marcel stares hard at the ground while standing up to walk away with his books. “Find the backpack yet?!” Nick yells after him and his friends all snicker around him.

 

Marcel sits through his Math class and when the bell rings for lunch he heads straight for the library. Nick and a few of his friends had the same lunch period as him and he learned quickly to just avoid the cafeteria or be tormented and potentially bombed with shepards pie while eating.

The library was quiet as he slipped in and signed his name on the sign-in sheet and the librarians smiled politely at him and greeted him with soft chorus of “Hello, Marcel”. He already had a book to read so he didn’t need to find one to check out and so he headed to the back of the library where there was a few tattered old armchairs stuck behind the encyclopedia shelves.

No sooner did he sit down and open his book did Harry come waltzing around into the alcove. Marcel swallowed thickly and pretended he didn’t notice Harry standing against the bookcase staring at him.

Harry cleared his throat and Marcel’s eyes flicked up to him and Harry definitely noticed. “Listen, I’m sorry about earlier,” Harry says and that’s the last thing Marcel ever expected to hear out of one of Nick’s friend’s mouths.

“Okay,” Marcel mumbles, eyes glued to his book because he thinks that the moment he looks at Harry he’ll probably start being mean again.

Harry crosses the space between the bookshelf and Marcel’s chair in a few short strides and stands in front of Marcel. He’s so close that their legs are touching and Marcel swallows hard because he’s expecting Harry to hit him or something, even though Nick has never resorted to violence other than shoving before. Harry wasn’t Nick though, and Harry is bigger than Nick.

Marcel lifts his book up higher so it’s basically on top of his face, potentially a shield if Harry does strike. But Harry doesn’t strike, and instead he puts his hand on the book and tugs it free, tossing it on the other armchair beside Marcel. He leans down, bracing his hands on either side of the chair until he’s eye to eye with Marcel. “I came to apologize because I think you’re really cute,” Harry says.

Marcel swallows and tugs at his collar. This was obviously a joke, a mean one at that. Nick probably put him up to it to embarrass him and any moment one of the others would pop out with a camera and take a picture of the two of them to post all around school.

Harry reaches up and musses up Marcel’s perfectly combed flat hair and says, “Looks better that way,” and then turns and walks out of the alcove, leaving Marcel thoroughly confused and blushing because Harry just ran his hand through his hair. And Harry was a very attractive guy that Marcel may or may not be developing a little crush on.

 

Marcel’s next encounter with Harry is in the second floor men’s bathroom. It’s last period and Marcel had to use the bathroom during English class. Nobody was in the hall when he took the bathroom pass and headed for the toilets. He was thankful for this, because the last time he used the bathroom during class he had the misfortune of running into Erica who was Nick’s right hand woman and she took his bathroom pass. So he ended up having to go back to class without it and get a detention even though he explained what happened.

Marcel ducks into the bathroom as quick as possible and finds it smells like cigarette smoke. All except the last stall, the handicap stall, are open. He assumes whoever is in there will leave him alone if he’s quiet. He takes the stall closest to the sink and does his business.

As he is about to zip his fly he hears the handicap stall door open and footsteps pass him and then stop at the sink. Marcel debates staying in the stall until whoever it is leaves, but he needs to get back to class or lest he end up with another detention for taking too long or something.

He thinks the person has gone because he hear footsteps in the way of the door and then they stop. So he opens the door to his stall and who does he find than none other than Harry Styles leaning against the dividing wall by the doorway. Marcel pays him no mind and washes his hands but the sink won’t come on right and the water only comes out as a trickle. He’s forced to move down the line of sinks toward Harry.

The second sink doesn’t even come on and he shuffles to the last sink, right next to Harry and of course it works. He scrubs his hands and then makes the mistake of looking in the mirror. Because as soon as he looks up into the mirror, Harry’s eyes meet his and he is forced to turn and grab a paper towel which the dispenser is right there inches from Harry.

Harry unfolds his arms from where he had them crossed against his chest and reaches for Marcel’s face. Marcel freezes and closes his eyes as he feels his glasses slide away from the backs of his ears and off his face entirely. He waits for the inevitable crunch of them being stepped on or broken in half, but it doesn’t come.

“Open your eyes,” Harry says in a low voice and Marcel feels a chill run down his spine. He does as Harry says and opens them, only peeking at first to assess the position of Harry’s fists and whether or not they are poised to punch him. He opens them completely, opting to stare at the floor and Harry’s shoes in the process. Harry has nice shoes.

Marcel sees Harry’s hand come up and then his fingers are under his chin, guiding his head back until he’s looking straight at Harry. “Have you thought about contacts? Your eyes are so beautiful, these glasses aren’t doing any good to them,” Harry says and Marcel turns beet red. “It’s cute when you blush like that, Marcel,” he says.

Marcel thinks he could just collapse and cry on the dirty floor of the men’s bathroom because not only was that the nicest thing ever said to him in his entire life, but he said his name, his name was said by Harry Styles in a tone that just dripped with lust and he could not fathom why that was if it wasn’t a freaking joke.

“I-I have to get to class,” Marcel stuttered and Harry handed him his glasses. Marcel pushed them on, bolted past Harry and out the doorway.

 

A week later Marcel is put in charge of tending to some of the ferns on the roof of the school where the biology department has a greenhouse set up. It’s last period and Mr. Sykes sent him up during class to water the ferns since it was going to be especially hot over the weekend and they needed more water than the other plants to survive.

Marcel puts the key from Mr.Sykes into the door that was at the top of the stairwell to the roof and pushes open the heavy metal door and steps out onto the roof. The sun is broiling hot and it smells like hot tar from where the roofing is baking in the afternoon sun.

He crosses the roof to the greenhouse and catches a glimpse of someone standing on the other side of the huge air conditioners. Figuring it’s just a teacher or staff member, he pushed open the door to the sheltered greenhouse and steps inside. It’s definitely more humid in the little structure but it is a relief from the overbearing sun. Marcel grabs the watering can, already full of water and pours ample amounts into the four large fern pots along the south wall.

Outside he can see the person on the roof walking toward the door to the stairwell on the other side of the roof, not the stairwell he came in through. Marcel puts the watering can on it’s shelf and exits the greenhouse in time to see Harry with one hand reaching for the handle to the door.

Harry looks at him and then saunters toward him with a grin on his face. “Sneaking up on the roof too, Mari?” Harry asks.

Marcel feels like there’s a golf ball in his throat. No one had ever given him a nickname before. “No, um, I had to water plants,” he says, pointing feebly at the greenhouse next to him.

Harry lets out an understanding humm and steps into the shadow of the greenhouse next to Marcel. He looks it over and then to Marcel with raised eyebrows. “Do you like plants and stuff?”

Marcel stuffs his hands in his pockets and nods, “Yeah, I like them.”

“What’s your favorite plant?” Harry asks and Marcel is having a hard time looking at him because when he glanced, Harry looked like he was actually interested and wasn’t playing a game with him.

“M-my favorite plant is a pincushion cactus, because they’re round and have little flowers that come out of them.”

Harry nods in understanding and says, “Good to know.” Then turns and walks back to the door and waves a little before going back into the school, leaving Marcel to wonder what the hell sort of game Harry was playing at.

 

The bullying from Nick had died down significantly and Marcel was grateful for it. He did however suspect Harry having something to do with it. And whether that was a good or bad thing he wasn’t sure.

Marcel stands by the flagpole in front of the school waiting for his ride after school. His grandpa was going to be picking him up since his mom had a doctors appointment late in the day and his grandpa had texted him and told him to wait by the flagpole so he could spot him easily.

This also left Marcel as an easily spotted target for Nick and his friends too. Speaking of them, Marcel could see them standing by the trees in the walkway the divided the teacher and student parking lots. Surely they had seen him by now because every now and then Erica would look over, but maybe she was looking past him to the doors of the school.

She raises her hand and waves someone behind him. Marcel turns to see who she is waving at, and even in the crowd of kids all around him, he can see who she was waving to. It was Harry.

Harry, who iss walking in his direction, holding a hand up motioning to ‘give him a second’. And Harry who is stopping in front of him and smiling. Marcel pushes his glasses up and looks up at Harry who isn’t much taller, but still required him to look up just a hair.

“You wore your hair different today,” Harry says and he’s the first person to notice.

Marcel reaches up nervously and touches it muttering, “Yeah.”

“And you’re not wearing a button up either,” he says, picking at the collar of Marcel’s t-shirt with the rolled sleeves. “You look really good.”

“Thanks,” Marcel says quietly and lowers his eyes bashfully.

Harry reaches up and touches Marcel’s hair and then lets his hand fall to his cheek and Marcel looks up in time to see Harry leaning in close. Their eyes lock for a moment and then Harry is pressing his lips gently to Marcel’s. And Marcel feels like he’s just been lit on fire and shocked with a taser.

His hands come up to Harry’s open button down plaid shirt and pull him in closer. Harry steps forward with the tug and opens his mouth a bit to catch Marcel’s lower lip and suck on it a bit.

There’s a loud honk from a car not too far away that scares the life out of Marcel and he pulls away, staring at Harry. The two of them look around them to see a bunch of their schoolmates staring in awe of them. The car horn honks again and Marcel looks at the car, it’s his grandpa’s.

“I have to go, my ride is here,” Marcel says, voice higher than normal. He walks straight past Harry and to the old cadillac his grandpa is sitting in.

Harry hesitates and then runs after him and leans in the passenger window just before Marcel’s grandpa goes to take off. “Wait, I have something for you,” Harry says, slinging his backpack off his back and around to his front. He digs around in it and pulls out a little clear plastic box with a small round pincushion cactus in it.

Marcel takes it and looks at it in awe. “Thank you, I-”

“Will you go out with me on Friday? I’ll pick you up.” Harry asks, words rushing together.

Marcel nods,eyes glued to the cactus, “Yeah…okay.”

With that, Marcel’s grandpa pulls away and Marcel watches a grin spread across Harry’s face in the rearview mirror as he drives away. His grandpa reaches across the seat and pats his grandson’s leg, “Congrats on your first date, kiddo.”

Marcel smiles and holds his cactus close as blush creeps across his cheeks.


End file.
